The Hawkins class helped define the historical treaty cruiser even though many negotiators had never inspected one. Tillman tended to trust a capability more readily after seeing it in person, making a ship visit politically important. Hawkins's size and heavy armament would make the Omaha class look like evidence of an American design and procurement gap. The next Senate hearing would probably put intense pressure on the Bureau of Construction and Repair to fund a larger, continuing cruiser program.
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The Hawkins class exposes America's cruiser gap
A visit to a Hawkins-class cruiser would give Tillman a concrete foreign benchmark and ammunition for a hostile Senate hearing on American design.